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11th

Baby Teething

Babies vary considerably in the age at which they cut their teeth, though they will generally come through in the same order. Most babies cut their first teeth around five to seven months, though it is possible to have a first tooth as early as three months or as late as nine. Very rarely a baby is born with a tooth in place, and it is not uncommon for a baby to reach her first birthday without a single tooth having come through.

Teething is often blamed for many of the baby’s troubles in the first year, including diarrhoea, sickness, loss of appetite and a raised temperature, together with unexplained crying, night waking or general fretfulness. While teething may well cause some fretting, dribbling and frantic biting, it is unlikely to be the cause of more serious symptoms. If a baby is ill she should be taken to the doctor, and if she is crying or fretful you should look for some other cause such as boredom, thirst or perhaps the beginning of a cold or other illness, before automatically blaming teething.

Remember, too, that your baby dribbles not necessarily because she is teething but because she does not know hot to swallow the saliva that is constantly being produced to clean and lubricate her mouth. At some time near the beginning of the second year she will learn to swallow this. Some babies dribble so much that their clothes are always wet, as are the sheets on their cot or pram when you get them up from a sleep. If your baby dribbles a lot, you can use a bib while she is awake and put something absorbent under her head while she sleeps. It is dangerous to put a baby down for a sleep with a bib tied round her neck.

Teethers

If your baby appears in discomfort over teething, simply massaging her gums with your little finger may provide comfort. You can also help your teething baby by giving her hard things to bite or chew on, such as crusts or other hard foods like raw carrot. But never leave her along with these because of the danger of choking.

Special teething rattles can be bought or teething devices with a gel inside them which can be cooled in the fridge: some babies get relief from the sensation of chewing or sucking something ice-cold. (Never use such a teething ring direct from the freezer as it will be so cold it could burn the baby’s mouth.)

Teething gels, available from chemists, can be rubbed on the baby’s gums to anaesthetize them slightly; provided you do not use them too often, they are unlikely to cause any harm. Don’t get into the habit of regularly giving your baby paracetamol syrup or other painkillers as these can be harmful in repeated doses.

Order of teeth

The first teeth to come through are usually the front incisors, or the two middle teeth of the lower jaw, then the upper incisors. These are followed by the lower first molars and then the upper first molars at around twelve to fourteen months. The lower and upper canines – the sharp ‘eye teeth’ – are cut at about eighteen months and the lower and upper second molars towards the end of the second year.